Where Every Petal Lands
by XiaraRain
Summary: It is one year after the series ended. This is a Ranma and Akane story, and all of my favorite pairings are in this one!
1. Summer Saturday

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz.

A/N: Ranma and Akane story for you! Please read and review!

Where Every Petal Lands

Chapter 1: Summer Saturday

Warm sunlight crept through the window and brightened Akane's room. When the light reached her eyes, they fluttered open. She sat up and yawned, then rolled out of bed.

Akane stretched her arms and leaned forward, stretching her back as well. She straightened herself and rolled her neck from side to side. She extended one leg, wriggled her toes, and did the same with her other leg. This was her usual morning routine to help wake herself up and work out any kinks she had acquired in the night.

Next she stepped over to her dresser and selected an outfit for the day. She put on her clothes, brushed her hair, and left. As she walked down the hallway, she passed the room that was adjacent to hers. It had been an extra, unoccupied space that the family used for storage.

After a year of sharing the guest bedroom, Ranma and Genma were unable to tolerate each other enough to sleep in the same area. Ranma made the decision to move into this bedroom, and all of the items that were previously in it were transferred to the attic or sold in a garage sale. For the past year, he had been living in the room that was right next to Akane's.

The door was wide open, and she stopped to see if he was still asleep. Sure enough, the martial artist was fast asleep on his futon. He lay with one bent leg protruding from his sheets and an arm up beside his head. His mouth was slightly ajar. Akane could see the sheets rise and fall with each breath he took.

She noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt, and her eyes trailed down to his half covered abs. They were so toned and muscular, she couldn't help but gawk at him.

Akane realized she was standing in Ranma's doorway just staring at him. She quickly looked down both sides of the hallway and was relieved that nobody had seen her. She quietly entered his room and stood beside his sleeping form.

His face was serene, and his heavy breathing was rhythmic. He was wearing nothing but a pair of dark gray sweat pants. That's what he looked best in, sweat pants and no shirt. Akane mentally slapped herself. _Why do I keep looking at him like that?_ she thought, almost disgusted with herself. Still, too bad he couldn't go around shirtless very often for fear of being caught in his girl form like that.

Dangling just above Ranma's pillow was the scarf she had knit for him as a Christmas gift the year before. She used yellow, her favorite color, and embroidered his initials in one of the corners. The head of his low futon abutted his dresser, and he had tied the scarf to the knob of a drawer so that it draped down over him. It made Akane happy that Ranma kept the scarf even though it was poorly made due to her lack of skill. Even though he never wore it, he practically slept with it. She covered her mouth to keep from giggling. It was a sweet gesture; she did not want to laugh at him for it.

Reminiscing over the scarf reminded her that it had already been two years since Ranma and his father moved into the Tendo home. She couldn't believe that she was about to turn eighteen, and Ranma already was. They had just finished high school.

Somewhere in his consciousness, Ranma was aware that someone was in his room. Her familiar cherry blossom scent let him know it was Akane. But he was still too much asleep to make his eyes open.

Her hand placed lightly on his shoulder was all it took to wake him the rest of the way. He opened those beautiful blue eyes and looked up at her. Before he could stop himself, he automatically gave her a tiny smile.

Ranma sat up and shook his head, making his thick black hair swish from side to side. He let out a huge yawn and stretched.

"Good morning," Akane said cheerfully.

"Mornin'," he grumbled, still sleepy. "So why are you waking me up on a Saturday morning?"

Akane realized she did not know what made her wander into Ranma's room. She also did not know why she had been looking at him like that, nor did she want him to know she was. So she just said, "I didn't want you to miss breakfast. You know your dad will eat it if you don't get down there fast enough."

"Yep, that's a good reason to wake me up." He stood up, grabbed a shirt from the top of his dresser, and pulled it over his head. "Thanks, Akane," he said as the two of them headed out of the room and down the stairs.

As they descended, they could see that Nabiki, Soun, and Genma were already sitting at the table waiting for their food. Ranma and Akane took their usual places on the floor, across from each other at the low table.

The door to the kitchen swung open, and Kasumi walked out carrying a tray full of plates and breakfast food. "Good morning, everyone!" she said in a sing song voice.

They ate their breakfast in relative peace, aside from Ranma and Genma arguing over the last roll and trying to steal each other's rice. Afterward, Nabiki returned to her room to work on her latest money making scheme. Akane and Kasumi started to pick up the dirty dishes and clean the table.

"So what are your plans for today, girls?" Soun asked.

"Well, there are a lot of groceries we need," Kasumi said, "so I guess I'll go shopping. Oh, but I also have so much laundry to do."

"I'll go shopping for you!" Akane offered.

Kasumi smiled sweetly and said, "Why, thank you, Akane. That would be so helpful."

Ranma almost fell over as Genma slapped him on the back. "Ranma, ma'boy why don't you go with Akane and keep her company?"

/R\\\

"Let's see, we need bread, eggs, milk, bacon…" Akane checked Kasumi's list as she and Ranma exited a store. Ranma was carrying the bags of groceries they had already purchased. "We're almost done," she said.

"Hey, is that Dr. Tofu over there?" Ranma gestured with his head to a fruit stand.

Akane looked and saw Dr. Tofu picking out some apples and oranges. "That is him. Let's go talk to him."

As they approached him, Dr. Tofu noticed them and in greeting said, "Hello, there, how are you today?"

"We're just doing some shopping for Kasumi," Akane replied. "How have you been, Dr. Tofu?"

"I've been doing well. I'm getting some shopping done myself."

"It's been a while since we've seen you," Ranma said.

"Well, that means you've been keeping yourselves out of trouble. Akane, is your family doing alright? How is Kasumi?"

_He still has a crush on her_, Akane thought. "Everyone's fine. You know, you should come over and visit some time."

"That would be nice, thank you."

"How about today? You could have lunch with us!"

"Are you sure I wouldn't be imposing?"

"With all the uninvited guests we get?" Ranma laughed. "You would be welcomed, unlike some people who come over anyway," he said with sarcasm.

"If you're sure it would be alright with Kasumi, and um, everyone else, I'd be glad to come over for lunch today."

"It's no problem, Dr. Tofu. See you later!" Akane waved as she and Ranma left to continue their shopping.

"You think he's going to be able to act normal around Kasumi long enough to eat a meal?" Ranma asked, skeptically.

"I don't know, but I sure would like to see them together. He loves her so much, and I think she would like him too if she knew about that. Maybe he will have a little bit more control over himself this time."

"What about you? Weren't you in love with him?" Ranma tried to hide his concern with a nonchalant, simply curious tone of voice. "Won't you be upset to see them in love?"

Akane sighed. "Ranma, that was puppy love. I've been over him for a long time now. I just want the two of them to be happy."

Akane cringed as she heard a familiar voice shout, "Nihoa, Ranma!" and the purple-haired amazon threw herself at Ranma, trying to hug him tightly. He struggled to get away from her. Akane took the groceries from him before he dropped them.

"You go on date with Shampoo today, Ranma?" Shampoo asked as he managed to break away from her grip.

Then they heard, "Shampoo!" and Mousse ran up to them, panting. Facing Ranma, he asked, "Why don't you go on a date with me instead?"

Ranma yelled, "I'm not going on a date with you!"

"I wasn't talking to you, Ranma. Clearly, I was talking to Shampoo!"

"_Clearly_, you need to put on your glasses," Ranma said, irritated.

Mousse slid his glasses out of a pocket on the inside of his clothing and put them on. He then blinked at Ranma. "Oh, I'm sorry." He turned around and saw Shampoo standing behind him. "Will you go on a date with me, Shampoo?"

For a second, it looked like Shampoo was actually considering it. But then she crossed her arms and said, "Mousse, you so stupid. Ranma defeat Shampoo. You no defeat Shampoo. You no man enough to date Shampoo. Go away, Mousse!"

Suddenly, a group of boys spraying each other with water guns ran past them. They managed to splash Ranma, Shampoo, and Mousse with the cold water. Akane ducked out of the way just in time. The three cursed teenagers transformed immediately. Mousse as a duck wandered around aimlessly, quacking loudly. The little purple cat that Shampoo had turned into was making its way toward Ranma.

The now red-headed, female Ranma began to freak out at the sight of a cat coming after her. "O…Oh n…no," she stammered and grabbed Akane's hand. "C…come on, Akane. Let's g…g…get outta here!" The two of them ran away from Shampoo and Mousse.

/R\\\

Dr. Tofu nervously tore his napkin into tiny pieces. "That was delicious, Kasumi!"

"I'm glad you liked it. I'll be right back with dessert," Kasumi said as she gathered their lunch plates.

Akane picked up her own plate and followed Kasumi into the kitchen. While Kasumi removed her chocolate cake from the oven, Akane took some dessert plates from the cupboard.

"It's lovely to see Dr. Tofu again, isn't it?" Kasumi asked as she placed the cake on the counter to let it cool.

Akane put a freshly brewed pot of coffee on a tray along with the dishes, mugs, and silverware. "It sure is. Hey, Kasumi, what do you think of him?"

Kasumi began to spread vanilla icing on the cake. "I think he is a very nice man. Why do you ask?"

"I mean are you, you know, attracted to him?"

Kasumi paused in her icing and looked up at her sister. "Well, he is quite good looking," she said as if the thought had not occurred to her before. "But I've never really noticed. Why do you want to know?"

Akane shrugged. "I was just wondering. I mean, he's always been crazy about you."

"He has?" She was looking a little bewildered now.

"It's pretty obvious. That's why he gets so nervous around you. He always talks about you when you're not around. I think he's just been too shy to tell you. Sometimes I think he's being driven insane by unrequited love," she said melodramatically.

Kasumi put her hand on her cheek. "Oh, dear. I never knew that. The poor man."

The way her sister could be so oblivious to everything around her never failed to astonish Akane. "You seriously had no idea?"

"I really didn't," Kasumi said and picked up her cake. "But now that I know that, maybe I can give him a chance. It would be nice to get out of the house and date, don't you think?"

Akane couldn't really imagine Kasumi out on a date, but she agreed with her anyway. They returned to the waiting group of people in the dining room. Kasumi cut a slice of cake for everyone, and Akane distributed it.

Ranma eyed his slice with skepticism. "Uh, Akane, you didn't help make this did you?"

Akane could feel her anger rising, but she maintained a calm demeanor in front of Dr. Tofu. "No," she said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, good," Ranma said with relief and popped a big bite into his mouth.

Glaring at him, Akane thought, _What a jerk._

"Kasumi this is fantastic!" Dr. Tofu praised between bites. "Absolutely delectable!"

"Isn't she a great cook?" Soun asked with pride.

Dr. Tofu smiled broadly at Kasumi's father, "She certainly is!"

Akane watched happily as Kasumi and Dr. Tofu finished their desserts, complimenting each other all the while. They talked, laughed, and sometimes it seemed as though they had forgotten there was anyone else in the room. They were enjoying themselves so much.

"I've got to get back to the office now," Dr. Tofu said as he exited the house. "There will be patients waiting for me. Thank you for the wonderful lunch!"

"It was a pleasure having you," Kasumi said as she waved goodbye. "You really have to come over more often!"

Dr. Tofu blushed slightly and grinned. "I will!"

/R\\\

That night, as Akane took her bath and slipped into her pajamas, she reflected on the day. She felt like she had done something good. She was glad she had decided to tell Kasumi about Dr. Tofu's secret crush.

_I should have told her sooner. They could have been happily dating for a while now,_ she thought as she walked into her room.

Before she turned out the lights and crawled into bed, Akane stepped over to the calendar that hung on her wall. She used a red marker to cross today off. Then she caught sight of a bright yellow design she had drawn on another date. "Just three days before my birthday!"


	2. Over You

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I do not own any of the characters.

A/N: Remember, the first chapter ended when Akane was about to go to bed…

Where Every Petal Lands

Chapter 2: Over You

It was dark in Akane's room. She was sound asleep, bundled up in her sheets. The night time breeze swirled around the trees outside, making the leaves flutter and the branches sway and creak. One tree limb smacked Akane's window.

The sound of the branch thwacking against her window three times jolted Akane awake. She sat up and listened quietly. _What was that?_ She wondered. She was sure she had just heard something. Her eyes slowly scanned the room.

It was too dark for her to see anything clearly, but there were shadows everywhere. She strained her eyes, trying to determine if any of the shadows resembled a person or an animal that was not supposed to be in her room.

Something flashed in her peripheral vision. She gasped and jerked her head in the direction of whatever it was she thought she saw.

Now her back was facing the window. When the branch smacked it again, she only heard the noise and didn't see what made it. She whipped around to find the source of the noise. A loud creaking sound made her shudder. Was something walking in her room?

She couldn't handle it any longer. Akane threw the sheets off of herself and sprang out of bed. She dashed out of her room, swung around the corner, and ran straight into Ranma's room. She closed his door behind her and went to kneel beside his futon.

As she caught her breath, she began to think more clearly. _What am I doing in here? I can't just come running into Ranma's room like this. How will I explain myself? I can't tell him I got scared._ She was getting up to leave when she heard him say her name, and she stopped.

Ranma was pulled from sleep when he heard her shut the door. Once again, he was waking up to her cherry blossom scent, and he mumbled her name as he opened his eyes.

When he saw her there, in his room at night with fear in her brown eyes, Ranma knew something was wrong. "Are you okay?" He asked as he quickly sat up.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," she said in a shaky voice.

"Then what are ya doin' in here?"

"I was hearing noises, and I thought I saw something in my room."

"Do you want me to check it out?"

"Well, actually, I don't really think it was anything. You don't have to do that."

Ranma grinned and nudged her arm. "You're just scared of the dark."

"I am not!" She retorted.

He very wisely decided against taunting Akane over this matter. She was already too upset and scared, and he was too tired. "It's okay. I've always known the dark makes you afraid."

"You…you have? How did you know?"

"I can tell. Besides, it's pretty obvious. Remember that crazy cave we went through a long time ago? The one with the ghosts that tried to break up couples?" When she nodded, he continued, "Well, you were terrified just to go in the dark cave. It didn't even have anything to do with the ghosts. At least not until they started to come after you. But it wasn't just that. I noticed you were scared of the dark before we even went there."

Akane covered her face with her hands and said, "Oh, I'm so embarrassed."

"You don't have to be embarrassed. I mean, you know a lot of embarrassing things about me. I'm scared of ca…cats, for instance."

"But you have a good reason to be afraid of them. I don't have a reason to be scared of the dark."

"Everybody's gotta be afraid of something, I guess."

"I suppose so. I better leave you alone and go back to bed." She looked hesitantly at his door.

Ranma noticed her uncertainty. "You know what? Why don't you stay in here tonight? You don't have to go back to your room if it's scary to you in there right now. I'll sleep on the floor, and I promise I'm not gonna be a pervert." He patted the futon, indicating for her to get in bed.

"Really? You don't mind? Thanks, Ranma!" As she climbed on the futon, Ranma started to get up. Akane felt bad that she had woken him up, and now he was going to sleep on the floor in his own room for her. "Wait, you don't have to sleep on the floor. The futon's big enough for both of us."

"You sure you don't mind?"

"It's fine," she said and laid down. Ranma pulled the covers over both of them.

As they settled in, Ranma asked, "Akane, why did you come in here? I would have thought I'd be the last person you'd run to. Why didn't you go to one of your sisters?"

Akane knew she had instinctively run to Ranma, but she didn't want him to know that, so she said, "It wouldn't have done me any good. I would have just gotten them scared."

"You have a point," he agreed and adjusted his pillow.

"Ranma, you know, I think I'm scared of the dark because my mom died when I was so young."

"How's that related?"

"Mothers comfort their children when they're scared of the dark and tell them there's nothing to be afraid of. We lost her before she could do that for me, and I didn't go to my dad about it. So, I guess I just stayed afraid."

"Sounds like something Kasumi would have dealt with."

"I was too proud to ever tell her about it."

"Well, you have nothing to be afraid of, Akane. Just because you can't see in the dark doesn't mean something's there. And if there ever is, you know I would never let anything hurt you."

Akane smiled. "Thanks, Ranma." Before she fell asleep, she enjoyed the warmth of his body so close to hers. One of his legs was slightly touching her bent knee.

Ranma listened to her steady breathing. Akane's hair was very close to his face, and he realized the cherry blossom fragrance was her Shampoo. That was the last thought he had before he drifted off to sleep.

/R\

The next morning, Ranma and Akane quickly got up before anyone saw them sleeping in the same bed, and Akane scurried into her own room. A few seconds later, as Nabiki was making her way down the hall, both Ranma and Akane walked out of their respective rooms.

Ranma cheerfully said, "Good mornin' Akane. Did you sleep good?"

Akane smiled broadly. "I sure did. Did you?"

"Yep!"

The two of them proceeded down the stairs. A dazed Nabiki watched them for a moment before following them downstairs.

After breakfast, Akane and Nabiki sat at the table, chatting. Ranma was doing some stretches nearby.

"So, Akane, your birthday is coming up soon," Nabiki said. "I bet you're curious to know what Ranma got you."

"Oh, you got me something, Ranma?" Akane asked.

"Yeah, and Nabiki needs to keep her mouth shut about it," Ranma said and glowered at the middle Tendo daughter.

Nabiki ignored him and pressed on, "He borrowed money from me to buy it."

"I paid you back, with interest!" Ranma shouted.

Nabiki continued, "I think you're going to like it, Akane! He even asked Kasumi and me for advice about it."

"Did he?" Akane asked. "I wonder what it could be."

"Well, for a price, I could give you a hint," Nabiki offered, slyly.

"Nabiki, I'm serious, don't tell her anything about it!" Ranma warned.

The phone rang, and Akane got up to answer it. "Hello, Tendo residence. This is Akane."

"Hello, Akane," Dr. Tofu's voice came through the telephone. "Is Kasumi there?"

"Yes, she is. Would you like to speak to her?"

"That would be great," he replied, beginning to sound a little nervous.

"Okay, let me go get her," Akane said and put the phone down. She walked over to the kitchen door and poked her head inside. "Kasumi, Dr. Tofu's on the phone for you."

Kasumi was washing dishes. "Oh, I wonder what he wants," she said as she dried her hands on her apron. She followed Akane out of the kitchen and picked up the phone. "Hello, Dr. Tofu, this is Kasumi."

Akane went back to her place at the table and listened to her sister talk to Dr. Tofu.

"I'm doing very well today. How are you?" Kasumi said. "Yes, that sounds lovely. Alright, I will see you then. Goodbye, have a nice day!"

Kasumi hung up the phone and turned to face everyone in the room. She had a sweet smile on her gentle face. "He wants to take me out to dinner tomorrow night," she informed them.

"That's great, Kasumi!" Akane exclaimed.

Kasumi nodded, "Yes, I think it will be very nice." She returned to the kitchen.

"Oh, that reminds me," Nabiki said, "Kuno-baby is picking me up soon. He'll be here any second."

Both Akane and Ranma looked at her in surprise. "You're going on a date with Kuno?" Akane asked.

"I wouldn't call it a date, exactly, but I am spending the day with him."

"You actually wanna spend time with that annoying idiot?" Ranma asked.

"What, can I not like a handsome man who happens to have _a lot_ of money?" She asked coyly, then addressed Akane, "Besides, I don't mind taking him off your hands, sis."

"You can certainly have him," Akane muttered.

Right on time, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High barged through the door and announced, "I have arrived, Nabiki Tendo. Are you prepared to pass this splendid day with one as wonderful as I?"

Ranma rolled his eyes in disgust. Akane scooted away, trying to escape Kuno's notice.

Nabiki stood up and said, "Uh, yeah, sure."

Kuno saw Akane and said, "Ah, Akane Tendo, maybe thou will have the privilege of accompanying me tomorrow!"

"No thanks, I think I'll pass," Akane mumbled.

Then Kuno turned to Ranma. "Oh, Ranma, Kodachi the Black Rose instructed me to inform you that she no longer wishes to be wed to you. She has met another young man who has stolen her fancy." He nonchalantly waved his hand at Ranma while he said, "She's over you."

Akane said, "Wow, after all that fuss about wanting to marry her 'Ranma Darling' she's already over him so easily?"

"Thank goodness," Ranma said with relief, "now, I don't have to worry about that insane chick coming after me anymore."

Kuno shouted, "How dare you speak of my sister in such a way, you wretched heathen!"

To which Ranma responded, "You don't even get along with your sister, you idiot!"

"That does not mean I will allow you to insult her, you pathetic cur!"

"Pathetic? Who are you callin' pathetic!"

"Scoundrel!"

"Numb skull!"

While they went back and forth calling each other names, Akane was pondering what Ranma had said. She was not surprised that he was thankful to be rid of Kodachi, but she wondered how he felt about his other fiancés. Would he be happy if the rest of them were gone too? Would he be happy if _she_ was also not engaged to him anymore? She wished she knew how he really felt. She wished he would declare which of his fiancés he would keep.


End file.
